Bridge construction.



H. FRIEND.

- BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED Nov; 24, 1909. 1,095,202 Patented May 5, 1914 a SHBETS-SHEET 1.

n BY v Yi @t Arme/vins.

H. FRIEND.

BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 24, 1909.

1,095,202. Patented May 5, 1914.

a SHEETS-SHEET 24 Y 14. XN%N A Tomi/Ens.

H. FRIEND.

BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 24, 1909.

Patented May 5, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRM'H cm. wmmi'mw. l.. v.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD FRIEND, OF LEXINGTON, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO EDGAR il". KELLER, OF LEXINGTON, OKLAHOMA.

BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HOWARD FRIEND, residing at Lexington, in the county of Cleveland and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and Improved Bridge Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention is an improved construction of suspension bridge of that type disclosed in my Patent No. 891,417, and it has for its object to provide a new arrangement of parts, particularly the floor construction thereof w-hereby a very stable bridge is provided, and the said invention consists in the peculiar construction and novel arrangement of parts, all of which will be hereinafter fully described, specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l, is a perspective view of the simple and preferred form of my improved suspension bridge construction. Fig. 2, is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3, is a side elevation of a portion thereof, parts being in section to the better illustrate the saddle block bearings in the towers with which the main supplemental cables engage. Fig. 4, is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, parts being in elevation, showing the floor construction hereinafter more specifically referred to. Fig. 5, is a detail cross section thereof on the line 5 5 on Fig. 4. Fig. 6, is a detail horizontal section on the line 6 6 on Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view that illustrates the general combination of the floor girders, one of the cable supported posts and the guard rails. Fig. 8, is a detail view of one of the fixedly held saddle blocks hereinafter referred to.

In my present construction of suspension bridge, the same includes main towers l, arranged in pairs at the opposite sides of the river or chasm, and theserise from anchoring piers 10 l0 and when of considerable height, as shown, each set of main towers l, is braced by crossed stay rods 1l, provided with tension couplings lla.

2 2 designate sets of supplemental or end towers located inland of the main towers 1 1, as is best shown in Fig. 2.

3 3 designate intermediate posts, and these are sustained by the suspension cables and the said posts 3, the supplemental towers and the main towers are constructed like the similar end towers and intermediate posts shown and described in my patent before referred to. Each post 3 carries a sad* dle block 4X at the lower end, a closure cap 5X and a fiXedly held saddle block 5y at the upper end.

4 5 designate the main suspension cables that extend from the opposite main towers l, they passing from their anchorage over the saddle blocks in the upper ends of the `main towers and under the saddle blocks y of predetermined ones of the intermediate posts, the several cables 4 and 5 and their connection with the main towers, and the intermediate posts being clearly disclosed in Figs. 2 and?) of the drawing, by reference to which it will be noticed the two main cables cross each other at the middle of the bridge.

6 6 designate the supplemental suspension cables, two of which are employed at each side of the bridge. One cable 6 starting at one end of the bridge, passes over the upper saddle block of the post 2, and then extends under the block 4X of the next post 5X, and alternately over succeeding upper saddle blocks 5y and lower `blocks 4X of successive posts 5X until the post 2 at the other end of the bridge is reached, the cable 6 passing through the post 2 at the other end of the bridge without engaging its saddle blocks. |The other cable 6 starting from the other end of the bridge passes in a similar manner first over the upper saddle block m of the post 2 and then alternately under and over the saddle blocks of succeeding posts 5X and through the post 2 at the rst end of the bridge, the ends of the cables 6 being anchored at the shore. This arrangement is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The floor or roadway structure of my present form of bridge, and which forms the essential feature of my present invention, comprises a roadway 9 that extends beyond the last ones of the intermediate posts 3 located between the main and supplemental towers l and 2 and the said roadway, be-

tween the points stated, is in a horizontal plane some distance above the roadway or river bank approaches a, the reason for which will presently appear, it being understood, by reference to the drawings, that the opposite ends of the bridge terminate at the supplemental towers 2 2 which in practice are located at the cliff or brink of roadway approaches to the chasm. The roadway 9 includes inclined ends 90-90 for producing a convenient and easy approach to the main roadway from the banks of the chasm or river and the said inclined ends are preferably formed by bending down the ends Vof the longitudinal floor beams or stringers 60.

In my present construction of bridge the roadway, with the exception of the bridge flooring, is composed entirely of steel channel bars and these are arranged and combined in the manner best shown in Figs. 4L, 5, 6 and 7, the same consisting of a series of longitudinal channel beams 60 supported on the cross beams 12-12, also of channel shape and arranged in pairs. Each pair of cross beams 12-12 is spaced and braced by cross bolts 13 and nuts 13a, the said bolts passing through spacing cuffs 14k-14, see Fig. 6, from which and Fig. 7, it will also be noticed that the beams 12 straddle the lower ends ot' the posts 3 and are supported on the lugs 141' that project laterally from and are integral with the blocks 4x, iXedly held in the said lower ends of the said posts 3 by the bolts 15a.

16 designates brace rods, and these act as a reinforcing means for staying the cross beams 12. The rods 16 diagonally cross each other (see Fig. 4) and they have their' opposite ends 16EL bent to extend through the sleeves 1Gb at the outer ends of the beams 12 (see Fig. G) such arrangement of the rods 16 providing, as it were, stable means for steadying the longitudinal beams 60, which are further steadied and held in a relatively fixed position, by the long spacing sleeves 92, between the longitudinal beams or stringers 60 and the bolts 98 that pass through the said stringere 60 and the sleeves 92.

The flooring boards 18 are secured to the metal roadway structure in any well known manner.

In my present type of invention, I use horizontal T-beams 50 for bracing the several posts and towers and these extend the Jfull length oi the bridge, the said lbeams 50 also form guard rails.

F rom the foregoing taken in connection with the drawings, the complete construction, the operation and the general advantages of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

lVhat I claim is:

A. roadway structure for suspension bridges which includes bridge posts comprising transversely disposed beams supported on the lower ends of the bridge posts, longitudinal beams supported on the transversely disposed beams, flooring on the longitudinal beams, means for spacing the longitudinal and the transversely disposed beams, said means including sleeves held bctween each adjacent pair ot' beams, bolts that pass through the beams and the sleeves, supplemental sleeves mounted between the outer ends of each pair of transversely disposed beams, stay rods having one end passing through the said transversely disposed beams and supplemental sleeves, said rods extending between the beams they connectI and crossing each other from one side of the bridge to the other side at predetermined intervals, and means for securing the ends of the rods to said transversely disposed beams.

HOWARD FRIEND.

Titnesses D. N. Kos'rnnnannn, A. J. Aviar.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ot Patenti, Washington, D. C. 

